E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! by William Joyce

Author:William Joyce
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2012-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A Surprising Twist with a Chocolate Center

THE RABBIT AND NORTH eyed each other, sizing one another up.

North had been dubious about this fabled Rabbit Man since Ombric had first described him. North liked to think that he and Ombric were the world’s greatest hero and wizard. The idea of this rabbit as their equal—perhaps their superior—did not sit well with the prideful Nicholas St. North. But he would give the Pooka a chance.

“You’ve been expecting us?” North asked wryly.

“Yes and no. I have and I haven’t. Maybe. Maybe not. I did, however, have an inkling,” the rabbit answered. He opened one of his egg-shaped pockets and withdrew some egg-shaped candies. Their outer shells were pebbled with an astonishing variety of delicately iced decorations. “Please, have a chocolate. I make the best in the universe,” the rabbit said.

That was the sweet scent Katherine had noticed earlier—chocolate—but this was so alluring that she could barely think of anything else. This wasn’t just a whiff of some common candy; it was a hypnotizing mist of taste possibility.

“This one has a caramel center made with the milk of an intergalactic bovine creature that on occasion jumps over the Moon,” the Pooka told her, waving it under her nose. “And this one—marshmallow made from the whipped eggs of Asian peacocks!” Bunnymund’s eyes glistened. His nose twitched and he leaned forward, holding out a pair of chocolates.

Katherine wavered—she was so hungry. In all their dashing about, she and North hadn’t remembered to pack anything to eat. So she reached for one of the chocolates.

Before North could object, the Pooka turned to him. “You, sir, would likely enjoy something darker . . . wilder.” He pulled forth a candy of impressive size. “This egg is made with cacao leaves that grow in the dark center of the great caves of Calcutta; it contains a pinch of mint from the ice caps of Mars. It also has three molecules of Hawaiian lava sprouts for a little extra kick.”

Never had North smelled something so tantalizing. It was almost as tempting as the jewels the Spirit of the Forest had used to lure his band of outlaws in the enchanted forest. She had turned his men into stone elves, so he couldn’t help but be a little suspicious of this offering. Besides, the Pooka’s egg warriors were still pointing their bows at them.

“You have a piece first,” North countered.

“I should,” the rabbit agreed. Then he sighed. “But I shouldn’t. Couldn’t. Shan’t. Won’t. It’s a long story, full of woe.”

That made not a lick of sense to North. But he could not resist the chocolate egg—he was even hungrier than Katherine was. “All right, but call off your warriors,” he demanded.

“Yes, of course.” Bunnymund waved a paw, and the eggs lowered their weapons and stepped away in perfect unison. Impressive, North noted, and deeply peculiar. He decided that the Pooka was probably harmless enough, but still, one could never be entirely sure.

The air was rich with an overwhelming scent of chocolate, and Katherine could resist its spell no longer.

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